Method and apparatus for conditioning and filing tabulator cards



Dec. 27, 1938. DHOSMER v 2,141,914

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING AND FILING TABULATOR CARDS Filed Oct. 26, 1956 IN VENTOR. DO/YHLD fies/-45}? ATTCTRNEYS Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITION- ING AND FILING TABULATOR CARDS Application October 26, 1936, Serial No. 107,539

9 Claims.

This invention relates to the method and apparains for filing tabulator cards and has particular application to the conditioning of such cards during the filing operation in order to eliminate toppages in the feeding mechanism of the tabulating machine when the cards are again put into use.

Tabulating machines are designed to operate and record transactions at a great rate of speed. Their principle of operation is to rapidly feed individual cards containing the data and information to be recorded into the machine from which a final record is made. The tabulating cards for accomplishing this purpose are generally made of thin, pliable paper, and should any irregularity or injury occur to the cards a stoppage of the feeding mechanism will immediately result.

It has been found that cards which have been used several times and have become worn are more likely to cause stoppages in the feeding mechanism than new cards whose edges are sharp and rigid. Economy of operation, however, requires that the same tabulator cards be used over again, as many times as possible, without causing undue stoppages in the machine. Heretofore several attempts have been made to obviate these stoppages in tabulating machines, so that the speed of feeding could be maintained when worn or used cards were fed into the machine. These devices consist of various attachments to the feeding mechanism of the tabulating machine, in an effort to bring the individual card into closer alignment with the guide and feeding mechanism. These attempts, however, have been unsuccessful as the individual cards do not become worn or nicked in the same places, and the tendency of the card to bend when under stress in the feeding mechanism is different in each individual card.

Having these diificulties in mind, it is therefore the object of my present invention to provide a method and apparatus for conditioning tabulator cards, so that stoppages in the feeding mechanism of the tabulator machine may be eliminated when cards which have become slightly worn or nicked are continued to be used in the machine. It is a further object of my invention to provide an apparatus for conditioning tabulator cards at the same time they are being filed, thereby maintaining the cards always ready for use.

My invention is more fully understood when taken with the following description given in connection with the accompanying drawing, where Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the method involved in my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a filing cabinet, illustrating my invention; Fig. 3 is a top view of the filing cabinet shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a diagram matic illustration of a feeding mechanism for a tabulating machine.

Referring now to Fig. 1, I have shown a diagrammatic illustration of a form of apparatus for conditioning the cards before they are placed in the hopper of the feeding mechanism of a tabu lating machine. A stack of cards I is placed in juxtaposed position, in the same manner in which they are to be subsequently fed into the tabulating machine. is applied to the center of the stack, and is opposed by the pressure producing elements designated. at B and applied in the opposite direction, thereby causing the cards to nest in the form of an arch. These pressure producing elements may be embodied in a filing drawer, as shown in Fig. 2, or other suitable structure.

To properly condition the cards for the feeding operation, the pressure is applied for a sufficient time until a temporary deformation of the fibrous structure of the material of the cards takes place. By temporary deformation I do not mean that the cards are actually deformed, but that by bending the cards they will temporarily retain a tendency to bend in the same direction in which the pressure was previously applied to the cards. My invention is not limited to the precise positioning of the pressure members A and B, as the cards may receive the same tendency to bend by applying pressure at other positions, so long as the resultant effect is accomplished. The pressure elements may also be arranged to produce a curvature or configuration other than that shown in Fig. 1, depending upon the positioning of the contacting elements of the feeding mechanism, one arrangement of which I will hereinafter describe.

The eifect produced by conditioning the cards will be more fully understood when taken in connection with the feeding'mechanism of a tabulating machine, which I have diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4. After the cards have been bent for a sufiicient time, the pressure is released and the cards are removed from the bending device. Due to the flexibility of the material of the cards, they will return substantially to their normal flat position. A very slight curvature, however, is temporarily retained by the cards as a result of having been previously bent on an enlarged curvature. The cards I are then placed A pressure producing element A in the hopper of the feeding mechanism with the previously arched curvature facing downwardly in the direction of the contacting elements. Side guides C and rear guides D are provided to keep the stack of cards intact during the feeding operation. A small weight (not shown) may be placed on top of the cards to hold them in place and overcome any friction or sticking of the cards in the hopper. A pair of lateral feeding arms E, E, and a gripper mechanism F provide the means for feeding the cards from the stack into the tabulating machine. The arms E, E, work in and out to engage the edge of the bottom card by means of small ledges extending upwardly from the front of each arm. The- The bottom element of the gripper F extends forwardly beneath the cards to provide a guide to assist in sliding the cards between the upper and lower elements of the gripper mechanism. The bottom guide of the gripper F is disposed slightly below the level of the arms E, E, so that, in order to contact all three of the elements, the cards must retain a slight curvature which is comparable to the position of the feed arms, and the guide for the gripper.

When the cards are being fed at the operating rate of one hundred and fifty per minute, the feeding arms and the gripping mechanism must work within extremely close limits, in order to remove a single card at a time from the stack. If the slight distortion or stress, caused by pushing the card inwardly and away from the stack, tends to bow the card upwardly at its center, the back edge of the card will not follow the gripper guide into the gripper mechanism and a stoppage will result. A stoppage will also result in the event that the card does not go beneath the guides D, D at the proper instant.

As hereinbefore stated, several attempts have been made to provide yieldable means for guiding the cards into the feeding mechanism, so that they may be gripped at the proper time. These, however, have been unsuccessful and many stoppages occur in the present machines. By conditioning the cards, and imparting to their structure a tendency to bend in a certain direction, the rapid action of the feeding arms will not cause the cards to be misaligned, by bowing upwardly or buckling but will bend them in the proper direction of the feed arms and against the gripping mechanism without any stoppage of the machine. By actual experiment, I have found that nearly fifty to seventy-five percent of the stoppages caused in the feeding mechanism of card tabulating machines may be obviated by conditioning the cards according to the method of my application. There is also a greater economy of operation of tabulating machines as these cards may be used over again many times, even after they have become slightly worn, which, under ordinary conditions, could not be done without causing stoppages in the machine.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown another form of apparatus or device for carrying out the method of my invention, and at the same time provide a filing cabinet for the cards. A stack of cards I, as previously described, are placed in the filing cabinet 2, in an upright position in the usual manner of filing such tabulator cards. In order to condition the cards, preparatory to the feeding operation, I have provided the cabinet with a pair of slightly curved plates 3 and, 4, disposed at opposite ends of the stack of cards I. The plate 3 is stationary and may be affixed to the front of the filing drawer, while the rear plate 4 acts as a follower and is movable longitudinally, depending upon the number of cards to be filed in the drawer 2.

When the cards have been placed in the drawer in their proper position, the rear plate 4, or follower, is pushed into position along the guideway 5, disposed in the bottom of the drawer,

until sufficient pressure is applied to the cards in order to impart the curvature of the plates 3 and. 4 to the entire stack of cards. Having applied a pressure to the stack of cards in order to effect their bending, the rear follower 4 is then locked to the guideway 5, by means of a locking lever 6. The cards are then allowed to remain in this position until they are again to be: used in connection with the tabulating machine- This period may vary from one day to a Week, or even a greater length of time, depending upon the frequency with which the cards are used. It is not important, however, that an actual deformation of the cards take place. It is sufficient, for the purpose of my invention, if a temporary tendency to bend in a certain direction is imparted to the cards during the filing operation. The cards, when placed in the feeding mechanism, will have the tendency to bend in the proper direction and will retain just enough curvature to permit the cards to contact all three of the elements E, E, and F, of the feeding mechanism. Thus, many of the stoppages incident to the use of worn cards will thereby be eliminated. A slight bending of an inch or more in a It may therefore be seen that I have invented a new and useful method for conditioning and filing tabulator cards which not only eliminates many of the stoppages in tabulating machines,

but effects a greater economy in their operation and use of these cards. My invention has solved a problem which has long been unsuccessful of solution, and does not require any additional mechanism as the conditioning of the cards takes place during the filing operation, and therefore it in no way increases the cost of operating these tabulating machines.

I claim:

1. The method of eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulator cards comprising bending a series of flexible cards in the form of an arched surface to impart a tendency to bend in the fibrous structure of the material of the cards, releasing the cards from said bending operation and feeding the same with the crest of the previously arched surface in the direction of the feeding arms.

2. The method of eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulating cards comprising applying pressure to one end of the stack of cards to cause them to bend in the form of an arched surface and impart a bending tendency in the fibrous material of the cards, when the cards are subsequently stressed, releasing the pressure from said cards and feeding the same with the crest of the previously arched surface in the direction of the feeding arms.

3. The method of eliminating stoppages in the feeding of cards for use in a tabulating machine, comprising bending a series of cards lengthwise in the form of an arched surface, allowing the cards to remain in this position for a sufficient time to retain a slight curvature in the cards after the same have been released, releasing the cards from their previously bent position to permit them to return to a substantially flat position of slight curvature, and feeding the cards by placing the same in engagement with a pair of feed arms, and a gripper guide, said feeding elements being arranged to support the cards along a fixed curvature, whereby the slight curvature retained in the cards will cause them to lie in closer contact with each of said feeding elements during the action of the feed arms on the cards.

4. The method of eliminating stoppages in the feeding of cards for use in a tabulating machine, comprising applying pressure to the center of a series of cards supported at their outside edges and holding the cards in this position to retain a slight curvature in the cards after they have been released, releasing the cards from their previously bent position to permit them to return to a substantially flat position of slight curva ture, and feeding the cards by placing the same in engagement with a pair of feed arms and a gripper guide, said feeding elements being arranged to support the cards along a fixed curvature, whereby the slight curvature retained in the cards will cause them to lie in closer contact with each of said feeding elements during the action of the feed arms on the cards.

5. The method of eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulating cards, comprising bending the cards into an enlarged curvature at the points which would press them into contact with the feed arms and a gripper guide, if the cards were in the tabulating machine, maintaining the cards under pressure for a sufficient length of time to retain a slightcurvature in the cards after they have been released and without permanently deforming the same, releasing the pressure from the cards to permit them to return to a substantially fiat position of slight curvature, which is the equivalent of the curvature formed between the elevation of the gripper guide and the feed arms, and feeding the cards by placing the curved surfaces thereof in en gagement with the said respective contacting elements.

6. In the apparatus for eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulator cards, wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a gripper guide and a pair of feed arms spaced axially thereof to support the cards along a fixed curvature, a container for holding a series of cards in stacked relationship, pressure-producing means positioned in the container for pressing the cards into an enlarged curvature, and means for releasing the cards to permit them to return to a substantially flat position of slight curvature which is the equivalent of the curvature formed between said contacting elements, whereby the cards will lie in closer contact with each of the same, during the engagement of the feed arms with the cards.

7. In the apparatus for eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulator cards, wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a gripper guide and a pair of feed arms spaced axially thereof to support the cards along a fixed curvature, a container for holding a series of cards in stacked relationship, a curved pressure-producing surface for each end of the stack thereof, each of said pressure-producing surface having an enlarged curvature for bending the cards a predetermined amount without permanently distorting the same, and means for releasing the cards to permit them to return to a substantially fiat position of slight curvature which is comparable to the curvature formed between said contacting elements, whereby the cards will lie in closer contact with each of said elements during the engagement of the feeds arms with the cards.

8. In the apparatus for eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulator cards, wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a grip-per guide and a pair of feed arms spaced axially thereof to support the cards along a fixed curvature, a container for holding a series of cards in stacked relationship, a curved pressure-producing surface for each end of the stack there-of, said pressure-producing surfaces having an enlarged curvature for bending the cards a predetermined amount without permanently distorting the same, means to lock the cards between said pressure-producing surfaces and to release the same to permit them to return to a substantially flat position of slight curvature which is comparable to the curvature between said contacting elements, whereby the cards will lie in closer contact with each of said elements during the engagement of the feed arms with the cards.

9. In the apparatus for eliminating stoppages in the feeding of tabulator cards, wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a gripper guide and a pair of feed arms spaced axially thereof to support the cards along a fixed curvature, a pair of oppositely disposed pressure-producing surfaces forming an enlarged curvature therebetween for bending a series of cards in a predetermined amount, means for locking the cards between said curved surfaces and for releasing the same to permit the cards to return to a substantially flat position of slight curvature which is comparable to the curvature between said contacting elements, whereby the cards will lie in closer contact with each of said elements during 60 the engagement of the feed arms with the cards.

DONALD HOSMER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION, Patent Noe 2,lL l,9lh. December 27, I958. DONALD HOSMER.

It is hereby certified that'error appears in the above. numbered patent requiring correction as follows: In the drawing, Figure should appear as shown below instead of. as in thepatent and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signedand sealed this 11th day of April, A. Do 1959.,

Henry Van Arsdale' (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents, 

